The Lambeau Experience

The Mystique of Lambeau Field

There’s just something special about Lambeau Field

Green Bay, Wisconsin is a small town of just over 100,000 people. On most days, almost every day, it is just a run of the mill place with very little to do, but when the Packers play, it might be the greatest place on earth. Over 100 miles and over two hours of driving through a vast sea of dairy farms and unclaimed land, gets you to the home of the Packers. After getting out of the car for a much-needed stretch, the chill begins to set in and you realize that frostbite is a possibility. In order to combat this, it took two layers of long johns and a puffy layer of ski clothes just to remain at a normal temperature. This didn’t include the double layer of socks and a ski mask, as well as a hat that were included as additional precautions. Once bundled up we made our way to the will-call center to get our special VIP-for-an-hour, on-field passes. After passing through the atrium and receiving a complimentary stocking which we lost, it was time to head to the field.

Walking around the turf gave you an immediate sense of scale, which also set in the realization that you are in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the beginning of winter, to watch the only thing in this town that matter other than cheese. Once you realize that the atmosphere becomes almost like a fantasy. We stopped along the ridges of the field to see the Green Bay players come out of the tunnel, all huddled and getting pumped up for what was mostly a meaningless game. When they started doing drills you would hear the occasional “Jordy!” which always made me smirk, and prompted everyone else to do the same. One thing that was very surprising was how calm everyone seemed to be. Maybe this was due to the lack of importance of the game, or maybe the players were just happy to be out here. From the sidelines, lineman seems like the boogie-man, if he were about a hundred pounds bigger.

After fetching some brats and cheese fries, for a completely overpriced amount, we made our way to our seats. Section 107, row 11 seats 1, 2, and 3 were our seats. Close enough to see the field but not far away enough to have to squint. Perfect. The stands to both our left and right were packed with fans but of both teams. Maybe this is because Minnesota is actually good for the first time in a while, or Green Bay can’t make the playoffs, but either way, there was a lot of yelling. On first down, the chants of “hoorah” and “let’s go” were loud, no matter how much Green Bay was down by, making it always feel like they have a chance. Unlike a lot of sporting events I have been to, most fans didn’t leave until a minute left in the game, even though Green Bay trailed by 13 almost the entire game. This really makes you think about how much this town and fans love their team, a team named after a packing company. So many of the people that sat around us were ‘ride or die’ with the Packers, something that made the experience so unforgettable.

When replaying these memories in my head, I think about the cold, my toes freezing off or the fact that I never got to see a famous Lambeau Leap. Of course, I can always go to another game, but that won’t be like the first time I went. Nothing will be able to compare to the first time that I went to Lambeau field, in 4 degree weather, draped in ski clothes, all to watch a football team play. All to watch the team my father has loved since he was born, the team that I’ve grown up on, the Green Bay Packers. And with this I leave the people reading this article, if you have a chance to make the 2-hour, 100-mile drive from Milwaukee, then I strongly urge you to do it. Many sports teams have good fans, Many sports teams have great fans, but one thing’s for sure, there are no fans like Packer fans.